Chapter 161: New Friends, New Experiences
Moana
After Ella, Edrick and I went to the outdoor painting class together, it started to become more and more apparent to me that Ella was deeply craving more interactions with other children her age. With each passing day, she begged me more and more to bring her to the orphanage to play with the other children, and began to grow a little defiant when Edrick told her that she couldn’t be going out all of the time.
My years of working with children and my career in early childhood education taught me that one of the most important things for any child to experience was socializing with other children. Ella had been mostly cooped up her entire life, and I even began to honestly wonder if she even had any interactions with other children before I came into the picture. Maybe she ran into children at training or saw her little cousins once or twice a year during family gatherings, but she didn’t have consistent chances to socialize with other kids. I saw the toll it was taking on her, and as the days ticked closer to the beginning of the school year, I could tell that Ella was deeply upset.
Finally, I decided to talk to Edrick about the possibility of sending Ella to school.
I knew that he would likely be hesitant about the idea, so I decided to prepare first. I began to do some research on local private schools, and even spent a few days just spending all of my free time compiling a list of the best local private schools for Edrick to look at. I made sure to find schools with plenty of extracurriculars for Ella to get involved in, and also made sure to find schools that offered pre-kindergarten through high school so that she could stay with her friends, as I was certain that she was bound to make a lot of friends.
After several days of searching, I finally compiled a list of schools that I was certain would pique Edrick’s interest. How could he say no to sending his little girl to such nice schools? Surely he would at least go on some tours and think about it. In fact, there was even one school that was within walking distance of the penthouse; it was an all-girls school that had been around for a long time, and judging from the pictures that I found online, it looked beautiful.
Later that evening, after I had the list and an entire little speech ready for Edrick, I waited patiently for Edrick to come home. When I heard the elevator doors open, I immediately jumped up from the armchair in the living room and scurried over to Edrick.
“Let me take your coat,” I said, quickly taking his suit jacket off of his arm. I took his briefcase next, and set everything aside with a smile.
Edrick shot me a strange, confused look as I hung up his coat and let out a low chuckle. “What’s all this for?” he asked lightheartedly. “Are you trying to butter me up or something?”
I shook my head at first, and guided him over to the dining room table. I pulled a chair out for him, then ran into the kitchen and returned with a covered tray of food that I had kept hot, knowing that he would be at work late that evening. When I set it down in front of him, he laughed again and made my face go red.
“Moana, this is very nice, but what on earth is going on?” Edrick asked. “Did someone die? Are you finally trying to poison me?”
“N-No,” I replied sheepishly, feeling my face get even more hot as I fiddled nervously with the front of my dress. “Well… Maybe I am trying to butter you up a little.”
Edrick raised an eyebrow, but uncovered his plate regardless and began to stab the steaming pasta with his fork. He seemed to be in good humor that evening, which gave me more confidence about bringing up such a sensitive topic. “What is it?”
I cleared my throat, then produced the pamphlet of potential schools that I had folded up in my pocket. “I think Ella really needs to start socializing more with other children,” I said. “She’s getting older, and she’s hardly had any opportunities to meet other kids. It’s taking an obvious toll on her, as I’m sure you’ve noticed lately.”
Edrick, who was about to put a forkful of pasta in his mouth, froze and looked up at me with somewhat wide eyes. “Are you suggesting…” He set his fork down.
I nodded. “Ella needs to go to school.”
Edrick’s face went cold and he said nothing. Seeing him react like this was a bit disheartening, but it wasn’t unexpected; I had spent days preparing for this. I set the pamphlet down on the table in front of him and sat down at the table.
“I know you’re unsure about sending her to school, but I’ve been doing a lot of research and I found quite a few nice private schools in the area,” I said, trying my best to come across as compassionate and gentle. I understood why sending his little girl away to school after she lived cooped up in the penthouse for the past eight years was difficult, but at the same time I knew that he knew that I was at least half right. I slid the pamphlet closer to him, and although he just stared down at it silently, I kept talking. “I really think you should at least just take a look,” I said. “Please.”
Edrick was silent for several moments. He seemed stiff, and almost seemed as though he would get up and walk away at any moment, but then he finally picked up the pamphlet and slightly flipped through it.
“I’ll consider it,” he said. His voice was cold and he stood abruptly without eating his dinner. Without another word, he started off toward his study. Panicking and worrying that I had put him off somehow, I jumped up and called after him.
“Edrick, I know it’s scary to send her out into the world, and I know that you’re worried about her getting hurt or the paparazzi scaring her, but she needs this more than you realize,” I said. Edrick paused, his back still turned to me, but he did seem to be listening. “Think about everything that Ella is missing out on. She needs friends, new experiences. She needs to learn things that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn about while being homeschooled, and she needs more than a one-on-one experience in life if you want her to be successful when she grows up.”
Edrick stood there for a few moments. I could tell that he was thinking about it, and that he wasn’t just ignoring me or waiting for me to be quiet. And although he still walked into his office without saying anything, I couldn’t help but smile.
I was pretty certain that my words struck a chord with him. Above all else, I knew that he cared deeply about Ella’s future and her happiness, and I knew that he wouldn’t want her to live her life being cooped up and separated from society.
At least, that was assuming that what Olivia told me wasn’t true.
